Earlier this month, the House and Senate passed similar bills aimed at fixing dysfunctions within the VA healthcare system, which has been plagued by claim backlogs and long wait times.

The Senate bill would establish a two-year program to allow veterans to seek care from non-VA doctors if wait times are excessive or the nearest facility is more than 40 miles away. The bill also gives the VA secretary expanded powers to fire senior executives for poor performance, authorizes the construction of 26 new VA facilities and provides $500 million to hire more doctors and nurses.